Change in Circumstances
by penguino3782
Summary: Just as a series of circumstances landed Mike an interview with Harvey at the Chilton Hotel years ago, a new set of tragic circumstances brings Mike back to New York with his daughter in tow. Takes place approximately five years after the events of the season seven finale.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suits.**

 **A/N: It's been forever since I wrote a Suits fic, but I just can't help myself. As I wrote in the author's note of my latest update of "Just Another Day," I've been re-watching earlier seasons of Suits. I really love the interaction and relationship between Harvey and Mike. To me their friendship is what made Suits, Suits. That is part of the reason why I can't bring myself to watch the current season. Anyways, I began thinking about what would bring Mike back to New York and therefore, Harvey. This is the end product of those musings…**

 **Change in Circumstances-Chapter 1**

Harvey happily hums to himself as he strolls by the sign of Zane, Specter, Litt as he makes his way to his office. His stomach clenches as he spots the older man's name out of the corner of his eye. Any reference to the named partner still seems to have that effect on Harvey, even with the man being gone for nearly two years now. Robert is thankfully gone and no longer at the firm. He's enjoying retirement, financed by the fruits of the firm's labor of course. However, the remnants of his presence sill linger at the firm time to time.

But, Harvey is not going to let the mere thought of Robert Zane ruin his day. He's in too good of a mood for that. Today is the quintessential perfect day. He's still feeling the high from winning big in last night's poker game. Not to mention, earlier this morning he got a call from Dan, his car dealer, telling him that his new custom designed Bentley will be ready by the end of the week. Oh and he's coming to the office after getting Josh Henley to sign the merger with Cyber Global, despite Louis' cynicism that Harvey would never get the deal done. His biggest win of the year by far. Harvey's feeling great and he's not letting anything get him down.

"Donna!" Harvey calls as he nears the redhead's desk. "I got it. Henley signed the deal."

Donna doesn't look up when she hears Harvey's booming voice.

"Where's Louis? I got to rub this in his face. _Harvey, I don't think it should be you. You can't go in there with your usual shenanigans. I know how to finesse people like Henley."_ Harvey attempts to mimic Louis's response when Harvey said he would handle the Cyber Global deal a few weeks ago.

"Harvey…" Donna says quietly.

"I can't wait to see his face when I tell him," Harvey continues, laughing to himself.

"Harvey…" Donna tries again.

"Maybe I'll treat him to that mud place he likes so much. Tell him it's an early birthday present, thanks to the nice chunk of change we got from the deal. The deal that I made happen."

"Harvey," Donna says again, voice breaking.

Alarmed by Donna's tone, Harvey asks. "Donna, what's going on?"

Donna looks up at Harvey with red, puffy eyes. Something's wrong.

"Donna, what is it? What happened?"

"Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"My phone?" Harvey asks, taking out the mentioned device. He must have still had it on vibrate from his meeting with Henley. Strolling through his phone he notices dozens of missed calls from Donna, interspersed with a couple of texts telling him to call her.

"What happened?" Harvey asks again.

"It's…it's Rachel." Donna cries out.

"Rachel?" Harveys asks in shock.

The name almost sounds foreign to his ears for he hasn't heard it in so long. It feels like a lifetime since he even thought of Rachel. That's not too surprisingly since he hasn't seen her in nearly five years, not since her and Mike's wedding. Hell, it's been nearly three years since he last saw Mike.

Despite, his and Mike's intentions to stay close after the newlyweds moved out to Seattle, their close friendship fell through the cracks. For the first six months, Harvey and Mike exchanged frequent texts throughout the day and had near daily phone calls. But, sadly over time distance and life in general happened. The daily phone calls and texts fizzled to once a week phone call. Now the phone calls have nearly stopped, leaving only the customary "Happy Birthday" and "Merry Christmas" texts to be exchanged.

Harvey doesn't even know what is going on with the kid. He knows bits and pieces. Apparently, despite Robert Zane's awful tenure at the firm, Donna and Rachel have remained close. He knows Mike and Rachel, have a daughter, Ava. Harvey has even bought her birthday and Christmas gifts. Well, Donna shopped for the gifts with Harvey's credit card and signed his name on the card. Hell, he never even met the kid.

"She was in a car accident….she didn't make it." Donna says.

Harvey rubs his chin. "Jesus."

"When was the last time you talked to Mike?" Donna asks tearfully.

Harvey sighs. He honestly can't remember the last time he talked to Mike. Hell, did he even wish Mike a Happy Birthday this year? Fuck.

"It's been awhile," Harvey replies.

"Awhile?" Donna asks alarmed. "How long?"

Harvey doesn't say anything. But, his silence is too much for Donna.

"Jesus, Harvey. Rachel and I still talk even after all the crap Robert pulled. You know what, that doesn't matter now. You need to call him. Now."

"Me?" Harvey points to himself. "I don't think I'm the right person to give comfort to someone to who just lost his wife."

"This isn't just anyone. This is Mike!" Donna exclaims standing up. "I know that life happened. That you and Mike don't talk like you used to. Aren't as close as you were. But, we're still family. And family comes together when things like this happen."

"Donna…"

Donna holds her hand up. "I'm not asking you to plan the funeral. I'm asking you to at least call him. Let him know you're there for him. Harvey…his world has just imploded. Last night he put his little girl to bed, telling her that her mommy will be there the next morning to make her breakfast. An hour later, he gets a phone call asking him to go to the morgue to identify his wife's body. He needs to know that no matter what, that we're here for him. For Ava."

Donna sits down after saying her piece. The ball is in Harvey's court. He doesn't say another word as he turns to go into his office.

 **XXXXX**

To the untrained eye, it looks like Harvey is hard at work. His computer is open in front of him to a half-done Memorandum of Law along with pertinent case law from Westlaw. However, Harvey started the memorandum yesterday. So far today he's done nothing. Scratch that he has typed several sentences and then quickly deleted them. Harvey's mind is elsewhere. It's on his and Donna's earlier conversation.

Harvey looks out to Donna's empty desk. She's left the office a while ago to go see Rachel's mother. But, before leaving she made sure to tell Harvey what she thought he should do. She didn't have to say it, her facial expression said it all. Call Mike.

Sighing, Harvey closes his laptop. Fuck it. What does he have to lose? Mike might not even pick up. And Donna can't be mad as long as Harvey calls Mike. That's what she said. And who is he fooling? Calling Mike is absolutely the right thing to do. He hasn't changed that much since Mike moved across he country. He didn't regress 100% to the Harvey before he met Mike. His thumb hovers over Mike's contact screen for a few seconds before he presses send.

The phone rings a few times. There's no way he's going to leave a sappy voicemail. That's not him. And Mike knows that's not him. He's about ready to hang up when he hears a familiar, shaking voice.

" _Harvey?"_

Just the way Mike says his name tells Harvey all he needs to know. The kid is hurting. Jesus.

"Yeah, Mike. It's me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Suits.**

 **Change in Circumstances-Chapter 2**

Harvey looks at the arrival board to see the status of Mike's flight. Good. So far, it's on time. Mike and Ava's flight should be landing in about ten minutes.

It's been a week since Rachel died and Mike is flying back to New York for Rachel's services and burial. There has already been a memorial service for Rachel in Seattle that Donna and Rachel's parents attended. But, Mike decided that there should be services in New York as well and that Rachel should be buried on the East Coast.

As Harvey is walking to the gate, he hears his phone signaling that he has a text. He rolls his eyes when he sees it's from Donna.

 _Did you get them yet?_

 **Not yet**

"Because I forgot," Harvey mutters to himself. "Jesus, Donna. Give me a little credit."

 **Flight's landing in 10 minutes**

 _You got Ava's booster seat?_

 **Yes, mom**

 _Call me after you drop Mike and Ava off at the Zanes_

Harvey promises to do just that before he pockets his phone and makes his way to where flight B6 246 is landing. The fight actually lands three minutes earlier so it's not long before a sea of passengers is coming off the flight. Harvey peaks over the crowd trying to spot Mike's familiar head. It takes a few minutes but soon enough Mike is standing mere feet from him with a sleeping Ava perched on his hip.

"Mike," Harvey greets warmly.

"Hey, Harvey." Mike replies quietly as he adjusts Ava onto his other hip. "Thanks for picking us up. I could have gotten a car to Laura and Robert's."

"It's nothing, Mike. It's the least…." Harvey stops himself. It's what. The least he can do after not seeing Mike for nearly three years. And that the only reason why he's standing in front of Mike now is because Mike has returned home to bury his dead wife.

"Still. Thanks, Harvey."

"Don't mention it," Harvey says as he takes a good look at Mike. The kid looks basically the same since the last time he saw him. But, Donna was right. The last week has been hell on the younger man. The kid is wrecked. He looks like he's about to drop any second.

"So this is Ava?" Harvey asks as he motions to the sleeping child. He figures he'll focus on the kid. Well, the other kid.

"Oh shit, yeah. You never met her." Mike mutters as he turns so Harvey can get a better look at the slumbering child. "This is Ava Edith."

"I can't believe you and Rachel were able to ward off Donna. I thought she would be a 'Ava Donna' for sure."

Mike lets out a small chuckle. "No way in hell. Her initials would be ADR. It's bad enough her parents are lawyers, she doesn't need her initials to be a legal term too."

Harvey is relieved at how easy it is for him and Mike to once again quickly fall back into their easy chatter even after all these years, just as it was when he first called Mike after hearing about Rachel. It's like they haven't spoken in few days. Not years. It isn't awkward at all. Not there in the airport or over the phone a week before when Harvey listened attentively as Mike told him about how his world fall apart. How Rachel was killed in a car accident driving home from Tacoma. Harvey stayed quiet as Mike mulled over the services for Rachel. As Mike lamented over whether he should bury her in Seattle where he and Ava could visit or bury her in New York where Rachel still considered home before ultimately deciding that New York should be Rachel's final resting place.

The trio makes their way to the luggage claim to retrieve Mike and Ava's bags. Harvey can't help but laugh when Mike adjusts Ava allowing Harvey to get a better view of the toddler's Vancouver Canucks t-shirt.

"What's so funny?" Mike asks.

"YOUR kid is a hockey fan!" Harvey replies still laughing. "I thought for sure she would be a Star Wars kid."

Mike shakes his head. "I still don't know how she got into hockey. We got her tickets for Disney on Ice for her birthday and she wasn't having it. She kept saying she wanted tickets to see a hockey game."

"Of all sports, hockey?" Harvey asks as he grabs a bag that Mike motions is one of theirs.

"Yeah, I think it's because of the fighting. She's a bit of a tomboy. We're hoping that she grows out of her love of contact sports as she gets older," Mike replies.

Harvey hopes that Mike didn't see the grimace on his face when the younger man mentioned 'we.' For there is no 'we' now when it comes to Ava's parents. It's now just Mike.

"You should have seen Rachel's face when she caught Ave watching a YouTube clip of one of Ronda Rousey's old fights. It was priceless…"Mike's words taper off as he finishes his thought.

Harvey can't help but clap his hands when he hears this latest info. "Rousey? I haven't even properly met the kid yet, but I love her already."

"Laugh it up, Harvey." Mike quips as they make their way to the parking garage. "She's barely out of diapers and is already giving me anxiety."

"Oh just wait. This is nothing yet. Wait until she gets older," Harvey says as they near his car. Once they reach the car, Harvey throws the bags in the trunk as Mike gets Ava settled in the back seat.

"So, I'm taking you guys to Robert and Laura's?" Harvey asks as they pull out of the parking spot.

Mike lets out a loud sigh. "Yeah."

It's nearly midnight so the car is plagued in darkness, not allowing Harvey to see Mike's face. But the younger man's slouched body and tired tone says it all. There's something going on with Mike and Rachel's parents. Should he ask what's going on? Or wait and see of Mike says anything? Did he have a roll in what was going between Mike and his in-laws? Mike has to know that Robert did not leave the firm on the best of terms and that Harvey was mostly the reason why Mike's father-in-law is now in a forced retirement.

Harvey's tumultuous relationship with the named partner was the reason why Harvey didn't fly out to Seattle for Rachel's services. Harvey knows that he would not have caused any trouble, but he couldn't say the same for Robert, especially when mixed with the raw pain of just losing a child. And Mike and Ava would have been caught in the crosshairs. That's the last thing Harvey wanted and that Mike and Ava deserved.

"Look, I'm…I'm sorry that I didn't come out to Seattle last week," Harvey apologizes.

"Harvey," Mike cuts in. "It's okay. I get it."

Harvey shakes his head. "Just because you get it. Doesn't make it right. I should have been there." Harvey looks in his rearview mirror at Ava who is still sleeping soundly. "I should have been. Now and before."

"You're here now," Mike says.

Damn Mike. He should be comforting Mike and here he is comforting Harvey. Making Harvey feel better. Harvey looks back again to make sure Ava is still sleeping before he says what he's about to say. "So, you have every right to tell me to mind my own business, but what's going on with you and Rachel's parents?"

If possible, Mike slouches even lower into the expensive leather seats. The car lulls into an awkward silence and Harvey takes it as a sign not to say another word on the subject.

But then Mike opens his mouth. "Things have been rough between her parents, well mostly Robert, and me. Back when you and Louis were trying to force him out, he approached Rachel. Asked her to move back to New York to open a firm together, Zane & Zane. Obviously, I wouldn't be a part of it. Ava was just born. It would have been hell trying to relocate to the East Coast with a newborn. She said no. He kept on her about it, asked her to fly back home to discuss in in person. And we did."

"Ava was just born?" Harvey clarifies. "So about 3 years ago?"

"Yeah," Mike answers. "That's the last time I saw you. The three of us came back to New York. Robert bought Rachel a penthouse on Park Avenue as a 'sign on bonus.' Made sure to put it in her name because as he reminded Rachel I am a convicted felon."

Harvey grips the steering wheel tighter. "And?"

"Rachel was Rachel," Mike says with pride. "She told him that she's no accepting the job offer or the penthouse. That her life was with me and Ava in Seattle whether he liked it or not."

Harvey is sure that there are more details than that. But doesn't ask for them.

"So, we flew back to Seattle. Robert called me. Cursed me out. Said that I got into Rachel's head. That I'm no good for her, so on and so on."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him that if he thought I was able to get in Rachel's head, then he didn't know his daughter at all. And that was the last time I spoke to him. Well, until last week."

"Jesus, Mike." Harvey says.

"It's not your fault. We both know how Robert is."

"Yeah, you're right we do. Still doesn't make it right. I was trying to keep you out of the loop when Louis and I forced him out. I thought it would be easier on you if we did that. Turns out I was wrong."

"It's partly my fault too. I stopped talking to you because I thought you saw me as being on his side. I should have come to you directly asked you what was going on."

"Well, there are no sides now. And here I am delivering you to the lion's den. Jesus."

"Yeah. This should be fun," Mike huffs. "I love Laura, but I feel like Robert is staring me down every time he looks at me. Blames me for Rachel. That if we moved back out here she wouldn't have died."

Then before he even thinks, Harvey blurts out. "Well, why don't you guys stay at my place?"

Mike turns in his seat to look at him. "What?"

"I have plenty of room. You know that. And I can guarantee it's a Robert Zane free zone. You will only have to deal with him when you absolutely have to."

"You sure?" Mike asks. "You don't mind?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I did. However, I don't have frozen pizza or corn dogs in my fridge."

Mike snorts. "Harvey, my palate has improved since the stuffed crust days."

"Bullshit, I bet when Rachel isn't around you stuff that kid full of sugar and junk food," Harvey says pointing to the young passenger in the back seat.

Mike doesn't say anything. But his silence is all the proof Harvey needs.

"Case closed. Now text Laura that you're staying at a friend's house for the night before you get her worried."

"Aye, aye captain." Mike says half-heartedly.

"Smart ass," Harvey mutters as he switches lanes to get off the exit towards his place.

 **Chapter 3 Sneak Peak: Harvey finally meets Ava.**

 **Down the road: Harvey learns that Robert wasn't the only issue in Mike and Rachel's marriage.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suits.**

 **A/N: Hi all! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am writing this. This chapter in particular was a lot of fun to write. We finally get some Ava and Harvey interaction.**

 **Change in Circumstances-Chapter 3**

Harvey's eyes pop open when he hears a giggle. What the hell. Then he hears the sound again. This time louder. A giggle that is way too high pitched to be an adult's, one that can only come from a child. Shit. Where is he? And who's kid is it? He looks around and sighs in relief when he recognizes the familiar furnishings of his own bedroom.

But, there's a kid there. A young kid from the sound if it.

Oh that's right. The night before Mike accepted his invitation to stay at his place with Ava for the night. It was late when they arrived at Harvey's. Mike promptly put Ava to bed in one of the guest rooms before making his way to the couch for the night. Part of Harvey wanted to continue the conversation that was started in the car, but the haunted, tried look in his former associate's eyes stopped him. That was enough for the night. So, reluctantly Harvey said good night as he went to bed, leaving Mike on his couch phone in hand. Despite the exhaustion that radiated off the younger man, Harvey doubts Mike got much sleep. Harvey didn't. The last time he checked the clock on his night stand it was 2:43.

Harvey rubs his faced tiredly. Time for him to get up. The kid is probably hungry. Mike could barely make ramen before he and Rachel got together and he doubts that Mike's culinary skills has improved over the five years he's been away. Harvey gets up and slips on a shirt as he makes his way down to the kitchen. As he gets closer, Ava lets out a particular loud giggle and Mike shushes her.

"Good morning," Harvey greets as he takes in the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

"Morning, Harvey." Mike says from his seat at the kitchen island. He turns to the toddler who has taken residence on his couch. "Ave, come here."

Harvey bites his lip as the little girl rushes over with the grace of a bull in a china shop, a raggedy looking stuff animal in her arms.

"Hi!" The little girl beams.

He's not good with kids. That's not entirely accurate, he just hasn't had a lot of experience interacting with them, so it should come to no surprise that he stands there awkwardly. It' not just because he doesn't know exactly what to say but also because this is the first time he has actually seen the little girl. Last night she was burrowed into Mike's shoulder, leaving only the top of her head to be seen. Now, Harvey sees just how gorgeous the little girl is. Her hair is a little darker than Mike's, but her complexion and eye color are all Rachel. Boys all going to be falling all over themselves to go with her when she's older.

"Ave, this is Daddy's friend Harvey." Mike introduces. "This is his home."

"Hi, Harvey." Ava says as she climbs onto Mike's lap. "I like your house. Your tv is bigger than the one in my house."

Harvey smiles at the kid's openness. He holds out his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Ava shakes his hand esthetically. She holds up her stuffed animal that's in her lap. "This is Ha Ha."

"Ha ha?" Harvey asks looking at Mike for clarification.

"Short for Harvey. She couldn't say your name as a baby. All that came out was Ha Ha," Mike says with a sly smile.

"Harvey?"

"Well, you are the one that got it for her when she was a baby."

Harvey's gut clenches at the sucker punch. He was not expecting that. Damn! Now he feels like an ass. Note to self, ask Donna about what other gifts he got Ava.

From the look on Mike's face he seems to be taking pleasure in Harvey's embarrassment. Hey, if his embarrassment allows Mike a shred of happiness during this tough time, so be it.

"What is that thing? A gremlin?" Harvey asks as he looks at the sad looking animal with its' matted fur, no doubt had better days.

"No! It's not a gremlin!" Ava screeches. "It's a sloth!"

A sloth? Really, Donna. She couldn't get the kid a teddy bear or a rabbit?

"Sloths pee and poop only once a week," Ava says gleefully with a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.

Harvey puts his head in his hand. "And I see you clearly inherited your father's propensity to remember ridiculous and obscene facts."

Mike ignores Harvey's comment as he turns to look at Ava. "Hey, what did mommy and I tell you about talking like that?"

Ava looks down in her lap for a second before replying. "No talking about pee, poop, and puke at the kitchen table."

"That's right," Mike says as he pushes a piece of Ava's hair behind her ear.

"But, this not a table. This is an island." Ava replies.

Harvey lets out another laugh. "And she's a smart ass. This is great!"

"Smart ass," Ava repeats. "Mommy calls Daddy that a lot."

"I bet she does," Harvey says. He stops himself from adding 'among other things.'

"So have you fed the kid?" Harvey asks as he looks over his immaculately clean kitchen.

"Noooo," Ava answers. "I'm starving."

"Starving? Well, we can't have that." Harvey makes his way over to the fridge. "Well, I probably don't have turkey bacon and stuff to make flaxseed pancakes that you have probably been brought up on."

"Pop tarts!" Ava yells.

"Pop tarts?" Harvey says as he peaks his head out behind the refrigerator door. "That's all you. No way is that Rachel."

"It's not all the time," Mike defends himself.

"Okay, sorry Aves. But, I don't have pop tarts. But I do have stuff to make a pretty decent omelet. How does that sound?"

Ava sighs sadly and Harvey feels his stomach drop a bit. Jesus. He's getting soft. He just met the kid and he's already feeling awful when he had to tell her that he didn't have Pop tarts. How does Mike say no to this kid about much bigger stuff?

"I have lots of stuff you can put in it," Harvey tries to placate the girl.

"I can put whatever I want in it?" Ava asks hopefully.

"No candy," Mike quickly cuts in. "We're not having a repeat of the Skittles and pancake incident."

Skittles and pancakes? Harvey looks at Mike in confusion. The blonde shakes his head, signaling 'don't even ask.'

"Cheese, bacon, and tomato?" Ava asks hopefully.

Harvey smiles. "Sounds like the perfect omelet to me."

"Extra cheese," Ava presses.

"Now, we're talking." Harvey replies as he cracks a couple of eggs into a bowl.

 **XXXXX**

"How did it go?" Donna asks as Harvey walks by her desk later that morning. After making the three of them breakfast, he hung out with Mike and Ava for a bit before heading into the office.

"It was fine," Harvey answers as Donna follows him into his office. "Aves and Mike are at my place before they head over to the Zanes."

Donna quirks her eyebrow.

"What?" Harvey asks as he takes his seat behind his desk.

"Aves? You just met her this morning and you already have a nickname for her?"

Harvey shrugs his shoulders. "So what if I do. The kid is hysterical. A real smart ass. She's going to be keeping Mike and Rachel on their toes in the years to come."

Donna's eyes get teary-eyed for the countless time this week. Shit. Ava won't be keeping Rachel on her toes because Rachel is no longer here.

"Donna, I'm sorry. It just slipped out."

Donna wipes her eyes. "It's okay. It's just so hard. Referring to her in the past tense. It's just not right."

Harvey doesn't say anything because Donna is right. It's not right. Mike shouldn't be a widower before 40 and Ava shouldn't be without a mother before she's out of preschool.

"Anyway," Donna says clearing her throat. "How about Ava? Isn't she a pistol?"

"She's great," Harvey replies fondly. "I love how they obviously had to have a talk about not using the Big 3 Letter P words at the table?"

"Letter P words?"

"Pee, poop, and puke," Harvey says with a smirk.

Donna lets out a loud snicker. "I'm not surprised. Ava has already started reading. She's probably reading things she shouldn't be."

"Reading? She's three." Harvey says.

Donna laughs. "She's going to be four un five month. Besides, she's a smart kid. It's just basic letter combinations. But she already recognizes them. And pee and poop are pretty basic."

"Do they think she has Mike's eidetic memory?"

"They don't know for sure, but they think she might. You don't want to watch a movie with her if she has seen it before. She'll tell you everything that will happen before it does."

"So she should come with a Spoiler Alert?"

"Pretty much. Have you met Ha Ha?" Donna asks with a smile.

Harvey rolls his eyes. "Speaking of did I 'get' her any strange ass toys?"

Donna makes it look like she's thinking hard, but then shakes her head. "Nah, I think that's the only one that I would consider strange."

"Good. And why did it have to be a sloth? What's wrong with a teddy bear or a damn rabbit?"

Donna rolls her eyes, "Please they're so boring. Ava is a special kid. I had to get her something outside of the box."

"Fair enough," Harvey agrees. "But, why did she name it after me?"

Donna shakes her head, clearly flabbergasted. "Let me ask you something. Even with Mike in Seattle did you forget about him?"

"Of course not, Donna."

"Exactly, just because you weren't around didn't mean that Mike forgot about you. Or didn't talk about you. From Rachel said, Mike told Ava all about you. How you took a chance on him. And like I said, Ava is a smart kid so some of what Mike said must have stuck. Hence how Ha Ha came to be."

Donna takes a seat by Harvey's desk. She's not done with her interrogation yet.

"Yes? Is there anything else I can help you with?" Harvey asks.

Donna takes a breath before she asks. "Did you two talk?"

"About? You got to be a little bit more specific there, Donna."

"Don't get smart with me. It's been awhile. You guys have a lot to talk about."

Harvey slowly nods. "We talked a little. He mentioned that he hasn't seen Robert since right after Ava was born. That things got rough when we were forcing Robert out of here. Did you know that Robert was trying to get them all to move back out here when he was on his way out?"

"Not quite," Donna said with a shake of her head.

"What?" Harvey asked.

"Robert was not trying to get them all to move back out here. He was trying to get Rachel to move out here with Ava. Leave Mike in Seattle."

"Fuck. What a douche. No wonder why Mike was so quick to take up my offer to let him and Ava stay with me."

Donna nods. "You probably love that."

"Donna-"

"Harvey-"

"Fine, a piece of me is happy that Mike and the kid is staying at my place."

"Just don't make this about you and Robert. This is about Rachel. Mike. Ava."

"I know that, Donna. That's why I didn't go out to Seattle for the services, even though I wanted to. It all but killed me not to go out there. Especially after heating how Mike was on the phone. And as much as I want to punch Robert, especially after learning about that little stunt he tried a couple of years ago, I'm not going to do that. I won't do that to Mike. Besides, believe it or not I know how to be civil."

"Good. I just hope Robert is on the same wavelength."

"He better be," Harvey replies.

 **Chapter 4 Preview: Ava has a meltdown and Harvey steps up to the plate in a big way.**


End file.
